


B - like a bathing Boromir.

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: General, Multi-Age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2007-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-22 21:37:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3744449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The Alphabet of Middle-earth" is a series of short cues to inspire you throughout B2MeM.<br/><br/>We invite you to pick up any cue, any time and to post your take as a comment for the relevant entry at the LiveJournal Community "There and Back Again".<br/><br/>Write a drabble, a drouble, a tribble, a quabble or a quibble! Write 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 words! No matter if it's serious or silly, anything goes.<br/><br/>And here is already the next cue:<br/><br/><br/>B - like a bathing Boromir.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. By Roads Forgotten - by Gwynnyd

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at [HASA](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Henneth_Ann%C3%BBn_Story_Archive), which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the [HASA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hasa/profile).

**By Roads Forgotten**  
 __  
"…long have I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay."  
    Boromir, The Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

 

Pushing the reeds aside on the edge of the stream, the girls wiggled closer to the water, being as silent as they could manage.  

"Do ya think he's really an elf?" the younger girl whispered.

"Will ya look at that?" The older of the two girls breathed out the words no louder than a sigh.  "Have ya ever seen the like?" Her stomach felt fluttery and her breath came in deep heaves as she stared at the man in the water.

Though she had thought herself tall, the person stood only chest deep in water the older girl knew she could barely keep her chin above.  His back was to them, and he splashed water from his cupped hands over his shoulders and rubbed vigorously at his body.  His hands and lower arms were golden tan but the skin across his broad, heavily muscled back was white as milk.  Long, smooth hair the glistening blue-black of crow's wings dripped water.  He turned and they saw he had a noble, high forehead, keen grey eyes and a strong jaw covered with an untrimmed beard.

The younger girl giggled.  "Never heard of no elf having a beard, but he sure is something like, ain't he?"

The man must have heard, for he scrutinized the far bank and took a few long strides towards them.  As the water got less deep, it revealed a no less sculpted torso narrowing towards slim hips.  The girls gasped and began scrambling backwards.  The man took a wild glance at the heap of his clothes on the grassy bank behind him, stopped and held out a hand in supplication.  

"Wait, please!" he called out in a strange, nearly unintelligible, accent.  "I seek the Elves of the north.  Dost thou know where the vale called Rivendell lies hid?"


	2. Bathing Boromir - by Dean Maia of Este

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Alphabet of Middle-earth" is a series of short cues to inspire you throughout B2MeM.

Bathing Boromir

(a double)

  


Finduilas decided to take the flowers she picked on her morning walk directly to her sitting room. Usually she went to her garden after walking so she was not surprised when her maids did not expect her, but she was surprised to see her son's nurse talking to them away from the nursery.

  


"Nurse, what are you doing here, who is with Boromir?'

  


The Nurse curtseyed. "This happens every day after you leave, My Lady. Please follow."

  


With the respectful familiarity Finduilas inspired in all in the White City, Nurse led her to the door of the nursery. She signaled to look in quietly.

  


There she saw Denethor, Steward of Gondor, with his usual dignified concentration to the task at hand, shirt sleeves rolled up, soaked to his skin, bathing Boromir. The baby was cooing and splashing as though he enjoyed it. Denethor handled him with the touch of a collector cleaning his most precious eggshell pottery.

  


Finduilas watched, torn between her love of her husband's unplumbed depths and her fear of what she had gotten in to with her marriage. Later Nurse told the Maids that she had never seen a woman look with such love on her husband.

  


Dean Maia of Este


	3. Bathing Boromir - by Aure-enteluva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Alphabet of Middle-earth" is a series of short cues to inspire you throughout B2MeM.

Ioreth leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest. When it came to preparing poultices or gathering herbs, her darling apprentices could not be found; for the most part they were just passing time until they could catch some unfortunate soldier's eye and were wedded and bedded. But today the captain-general was their guest, and bath-time drew near. 

  


The old healer smiled smugly. "Rest you well, _liebling_ , Ioreth stands guard." Any simpering maid must cross her to get at her boy -- and in those Houses all knew the simple truth, that Smaug's breath could never compare to Ioreth's fire.

  


****** **Note** : I know _liebling_ is a German term but I could not think of a suitable English equivalent. (I blame the Rohirric influence on Gondorian language, personally.) It essentially is an affectionate term for someone you're close to, answers.com lists it as an idiomatic translation of "favorite" or "favored one".

  


And I admit to being vaguely inspired by re-reading [TheOfficial Fanfiction University of Middle-earth](http://astele.co.uk/henneth/Chapter/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=30) lately.

  


Wouldn't Ioreth have made a terror of a mini-balrog? *g*


End file.
